New Smugmug Warning

If this should be in another section feel free to move it.

If you are thinking about migrating to the ‘new’ Smugmug layout there is something (probably many things but I hit this one today) that you need to know first. For any category etc. that you have password protected need to write down that password BEFORE you do the migration. After the migration your password will show as ******. When I checked with Smugmug, asking how to have it show I was told “For security reasons, we've stopped displaying the password in the Gallery Settings.” I guess I am a security risk to my own images. I am not a security risk to set a password, but once I enter it, I am security risk to see it. As the owner, you can still see the images, but unless you know or have written down the password, you can’t see it to give it to anyone.

What this means is that I now have approximately 100 categories that I have with no known password. If I want to give access to any to view a category I will need to set a new password which will block anyone who already had the password. I never should have listened to the HYPE about how great and user friendly the new smugmug would be.

Reset the passwords then reset again to what they had been. That way others aren't affected. Can you have them send you the password through a lost password feature?

CanonCameraFan wrote in post #16251403
Reset the passwords then reset again to what they had been. That way others aren't affected. Can you have them send you the password through a lost password feature?

I'm not seeing an issue here either... You can just use the old passwords...

Also, smugmug has great costomer service, you should give them a call and let them know your concerns.

More over, any time there are changed afoot with some integral piece of your "company" it is up to you to call up who ever might be the proprietor of this change and ask them about it in detail.

As an aside, I'm surprised the folks at digital transitions didn't get sick of me calling when I made a very very small purchase with them, literally it was less than the tax some people pay on what they purchase from DT, and they told me to call them if I had even the slightest question.

If I had kept a listing of the passwords for the categories it would not be a problem. But since I could always just look at the setting and see the password it was never a problem. Now the password doesn't show and the only thing I can do is make a new password and notify people.

I was in contact with smugmug's customer service and was asked which ones I needed. When I said the roughly 100 they could only help on any that might be an emergency. When my initial email was sent I received a quick reply that they were really busy and their normal one-hour or less reply would not happen. Maybe there are many other people like me who are not getting the results that they thought they would have.

With anything new there are going to be problems. But after watching their kick-off webinar they made it sound like they had the problems solved.

I like the new layout of the new Smugmug, but they do have a few issues to iron out. I have not been bit by this password issue, but did run into another issue with how the site now does featured galleries. You need to move your gallery from its category to the home page now to make it a featured gallery, which removes it from the category folder. However, Smugmug has yet to update their iPad app to refelct this change, and any gallery that is relocated to the home page completely disappears from the iPad app -- there is absolutely no way to view those galleries.

I sent a message to Smugmug tech support with screen shots of the issue. Their reply was that hopefully the iPad app would eventually be updated, but gave me no timetable for when this might happen.

Scott M wrote in post #16252878
I like the new layout of the new Smugmug, but they do have a few issues to iron out. I have not been bit by this password issue, but did run into another issue with how the site now does featured galleries. You need to move your gallery from its category to the home page now to make it a featured gallery, which removes it from the category folder. However, Smugmug has yet to update their iPad app to refelct this change, and any gallery that is relocated to the home page completely disappears from the iPad app -- there is absolutely no way to view those galleries.

I sent a message to Smugmug tech support with screen shots of the issue. Their reply was that hopefully the iPad app would eventually be updated, but gave me no timetable for when this might happen.

What if you clear data in the iPad app (not sure this is possible in iOS -- it is in Android) or quickly re-install the app?

waterrockets wrote in post #16253035
What if you clear data in the iPad app (not sure this is possible in iOS -- it is in Android) or quickly re-install the app?

Neither of those worked. I did re-install the app (which cleared the data) anyway, since converting to the new Smugmug caused all of my galleries to show up twice within the iPad app. Re-installing fixed that issue, but not the featured galleries issue. Smugmug's tech support agreed this was a problem that would only get resolved by an update to the app.

Interestingly, I do not have this issue using the Android Smugmug app on my Droid Razr phone.

For those with Android, I use KeePassDroid to keep my galleries with password. It's much easier than logging in and finding it.

This also can be used for multiple stuff like bank accounts and all that good stuff.

Hawks Feather wrote in post #16252208
=Hawk's Feather;16252208]If I had kept a listing of the passwords for the categories it would not be a problem. But since I could always just look at the setting and see the password it was never a problem. Now the password doesn't show and the only thing I can do is make a new password and notify people.

I was in contact with smugmug's customer service and was asked which ones I needed. When I said the roughly 100 they could only help on any that might be an emergency. When my initial email was sent I received a quick reply that they were really busy and their normal one-hour or less reply would not happen. Maybe there are many other people like me who are not getting the results that they thought they would have.

With anything new there are going to be problems. But after watching their kick-off webinar they made it sound like they had the problems solved.

call the people you gave the password and ask them what it is.

LOL

then make a secure list of your passwords.

It sounds like a hard lesson learned. It's always a good idea to store all passwords securely.

I am not a SmugMug user, but am surprised in this instance that there is apparently not a "Recover lost password" button somewhere. Everybody has one it seems.

A couple of things:

1. My 'lost' passwords were for 'private' password protected collections of images that I didn't want 'everyone' to have access to.

2. In the past when YOU (owner of the account) entered a password YOU (and only you) could see it at any time, so there was never a need for the owner to need to record the password.

3. I didn't 'lose' the passwords, but when I accepted the newly revised smugmug the passwords were replaced with *******.

4. I can understand not showing the password that I use to log into my owned area, but since I am the only one with access to the password for individual files it doesn't make much sense to now keep it hidden from me.

5. I do have a secure listing of all of my passwords for logging into sites, bank, etc. Just never thought I would need them for smugmug since they were always visible to me (in owner view) in the past.

I too use smugmug, and have experienced the same inconvenience. The thing that bothers me the most about it is that they don't give the option to view the password. A lot of sites ask whether or not you want the password visible. Luckily, I didn't have that many password protected galleries and had them stored elsewhere. I feel your pain though, man.

Thanks for the heads up. I have not migrated yet so am able to still see my client's passwords. I am making a list. Thanks for the heads up.

Hawks Feather wrote in post #16251030
=Hawk's Feather;16251030]What this means is that I now have approximately 100 categories that I have with no known password. If I want to give access to any to view a category I will need to set a new password which will block anyone who already had the password. I never should have listened to the HYPE about how great and user friendly the new smugmug would be.

Aren't First World problems a ****............